The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
U.S. PatentsCiteKindNo.U.S. Pat. No.CodeIssue DatePatentee19,908,667B1Mar. 6, 2018Smith, et al.29,725,214B2Aug. 8, 2017Crosby39,714,130B1Jul. 25, 2017Edelman, et al.49,475,619B2Oct. 25, 2016Procter59,452,867B2Sep. 27, 2016Koestring, et al.69,409,685B2Aug. 9, 2016Luis79,387,966B2Jul. 12, 2016Chiang, et al.89,327,881B1May 3, 2016Saranga99,078,535B1Jul. 14, 2016Buck108,794,479B2Aug. 5, 2014Lin118,734,874B1May 27, 2014Paolone128,113,379B2Feb. 14, 2012Cai, et al.138,087,531B1Jan. 3, 2012Riemer147,845,509B2Dec. 7, 2010Burchard157,594,584B2Sep. 29, 2009Durdon, et al.167,537,129B2May 26, 2009Bayss, et al.177,246,716B2Jul. 24, 2007Durdon187,246,715B2Jul. 24, 2007Smith, et al.197,175,042B2Feb. 13, 2007Durdon207,140,510B2Nov. 28, 2006Portman, et al.217,134,566B2Nov. 14, 2006Smith, et al.226,978,910B2Dec. 27, 2005Sander, et al.236,889,859B1May 10, 2005Leon246,578,726B1Jun. 17, 2003Schaefer256,260,727B1Jul. 17, 2001Durdon266,202,542B1Mar. 20, 2001Melton276,095,033Aug. 1, 2000Melton285,839,601Nov. 24, 1998Van Melle295,699,927Dec. 23, 1997Lane, et al.305,676,990Oct. 14, 1997Wawrzynski315,415,312May 16, 1995Mueller325,398,843Mar. 21, 1995Warden335,392,949Feb. 28, 1995McKenna345,244,113Jun. 15, 1993Beck, et al.354,738,373Apr. 19, 1988DeParales364,589,569May 20, 1986Clements374,322,015Mar. 30, 1982Bailey384,232,797Nov. 11, 1980WaterburyCiteKindNo.Publication Nr.CodePubl. DateApplicantU.S. Pat. Application Publications12017/0112312A1Apr. 27, 2017Gardeski22016/0137359A1May 19, 2016Bowlin32015/0360839A1Dec. 17, 2015Davis et al.42015/0053090A1Feb. 26, 2015Berger; William Harold52013/0256307A1Oct. 3, 2013Hewitt62012/0261417A1Oct. 18, 2012Tabor et al.72012/0201941A1Aug. 9, 2012Lavoie82009/0056556A1Mar. 5, 2009Lin; Shin-Shuoh92007/0181581A1Aug. 9, 2007Ross102005/0092749A1Mar. 5, 2005DurdonForeign Patent Documents1GB2446976BJun. 11, 2008Ross2GB2434737BAug. 8, 2007Ross
Fast food outlets serve a variety of hot beverages each morning and throughout the day to be consumed by a mobile base of millions, if not billions of people. Often, along with these beverage purchases, the consumer will also buy snacks such as donuts, muffins, cookies, brownies, cakes and the like. One option, conspicuous by its absence in this array of fast food delights, is the biscotti.
Though modern biscotti (the generic name in Italy) are associated with the Tuscan region, this popular Italian cookie traces its origins to Roman times. Biscotti comes from the Latin panis biscotus—twice-cooked bread. They were baked first to cook them, then a second time to completely dry them out, making them durable for travel and nourishment on long journeys. The Roman biscotti were more about convenience food for travellers rather than a pleasurable treat for leisurely diners. The biscotti, historically, might be considered the first recorded example of fast food specifically designed for travelers, to be consumed by dipping into a drink, traditionally Vin Santo.
The biscotti is a hard biscuit shaped as a long stick curved on one side and flat on the other and has a recognizable shape and consistency, that is hard and dry to taste and difficult to bite and ingest without some form of liquid for dunking and softening purposes such as teas, coffees or wine for example.
The biscotti has evolved from the unleavened, twice-baked, oblong-shaped, dry, pallid, crunchy, fingers; dry staples for nourishment, to flavorings only limited to the imagination of the baker and the palates of the customer. The original almond recipe of Tuscany has expanded to anisette-, amaretto- and lemon-flavored dough and to other spices; to biscotti with raisins and other dried fruits, including biscotti studded with chocolate morsels and with other varieties of nuts. The biscotti are typically made in a variety of lengths approximately ranging from a 2″ bite-size up to several inches in length. Their height and width, however, are more consistent; approximately 0.5 to 1.0 inch in height at the center, tapering to less than a half to a quarter inch in height at both ends. Their width is typically uniform, also with a characteristic narrow range, from some iterations no wider than a quarter inch or so to thicker versions reaching one inch. The aforementioned ingredients, sizes and shapes described for the biscotti do not preclude the availability of other recipes or dimensions not captured herein.
Eating biscotti in moderation offers a relatively low-calorie way to satisfy your sweet tooth. The fact that traditional biscotti recipes don't use any butter, oil or margarine makes this treat a healthier choice. Coffee, with a confection, has become a very important ritual for many starting their daily grind. Why not get the most enjoyment from this brief repast by choosing a confection with healthier ingredients, generating a unique taste experience when dunking this confection into your favourite beverage. The biscotti still enjoys an international following accompanying a traditional cup of coffee leisurely consumed throughout the day at many eateries. Ironically, however, the biscotti's classic history as a fast food staple for the traveler has not successfully made the transition into today's fast food life style.
The biscotti is meant to be dunked into a liquid then consumed. According to Wikipedia, dunking means to dunk or to dip a biscuit or some other food; to submerge it into a beverage, especially tea, coffee, or milk. Dunking releases more flavour from confections by dissolving the sugars, while also softening their texture. Dunking can be used to melt chocolate on biscuits to create a richer flavoured beverage. Evelyn, in the movie “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” poetically describes dunking as “lowering the biscuit into the tea and letting it soak in there and trying to calculate the exact moment before the biscuit dissolves, when you whip it up into your mouth and enjoy the blissful union of biscuits and tea combined.” This unique beverage/confection experience has all but disappeared from the on-the-go fast food life style.
A possible explanation for the scarcity of confections such as the biscotti from fast food menus is that these “chip-your-tooth” biscuits must be softened by dipping into a drink in order to be consumed. To accomplish this the consumer must take the time to carefully remove the lid from a disposable container to access the beverage for dunking, delaying the consumer's progress towards their destination. Conversely, once the lid is removed from the container, the consumer might continue onto their destination while simultaneously attempting to dunk and consume the confection and occasionally sip from the cup. This option, however, introduces an element of risk which could result in possible spills and injury. A third, safer option for the consumer's consideration, is to keep the beverage sealed and the confection untouched, avoiding any delays, arriving at their destination where they can take the time to carefully disengage the lid from the container and start enjoying the unique experience of consuming a confection infused with their favourite hot beverage. Of course by that time the beverage may have cooled and lost some of the desired infusion benefits. There are certainly other scenarios which can be envisioned from the above, however, none offer the convenience and safety of both dunking and consuming a confection together with sipping a beverage while on the move with the lid firmly fixed to the container.
Dunking a confection into a drink container, whether to soften for consumption or to infuse for a more enjoyable beverage/confection experience, introduces processes which are at odds with the on-the-go habits promoted by the fast food industry, all but eliminating dunking and seeing a declining demand for confections such as the biscotti. Prior art lid/container assemblies were designed for the lid to remain attached to the container during the consumption of a beverage and then discarded, offering no lid/container assemblies where a consumer may access a beverage for dunking while the lid remains fixed to the rim of the container.
The management of lid/container assemblies for the purposes of accessing a beverage to dunk a confection may be impacted by many contributing factors. The initial clamping of a new disposable lid to the rim of a new disposable container filled with a hot beverage offers optimum sealing and snug fit, ensuring the contents will remain secure within the container eliminating spills and reducing splashing. Conversely, the removal of the same lid from the rim of a container soon after initial fixing to the rim may be difficult even for an experienced barrista. While sealing a disposable lid to a disposable container may seem simple enough, a barrista is more experienced and better trained to do this safely and effectively compared with a customer performing the same operation on an occasional basis, if at all. This is one of the knowledge, skills and abilities of the barrista and a key function during the delivery of a beverage to a customer. When the responsibility to secure the lid to the hot beverage container is downloaded to the customer, the repetitive practice and skill of this operation perfected by the barrista is absent and is further mitigated by the customers attention being distracted in any number of directions, escalating the potential for accidents. The risk of accident and injury does not diminish upon consumption of the confection but instead escalates if the customer chooses to quickly re-attach the disposable lid, and hurry on towards their destination.
The original seal between the lid and cup rim was not meant to last indefinitely but to maintain a tight connection over the short period of beverage consumption, satisfying its purpose of preventing spilling and splashing while offering safe access to sip the beverage with the added benefit of heat retention. The fast food beverage is served in a paper cup, not designed to retain its structure indefinitely under long contact with a hot beverage. The lid/rim interface may have been deformed when the lid was first affixed to the rim of the container and may further be deformed when the lid is pried off the first time for the purpose of dunking a confection. During the consumption of a confection the hot beverage has additional time to sweat into the cup, causing deterioration, weakening of the rim and reducing the rigidity of the paper wall forming the cup. As the consumer has expended unplanned time to consume the biscotti they may wish to expedite their departure and be on their way, quickly attempting to push the lid onto the rim, hopefully using a stable support such as a table or counter. The cup's weakened structure may result in a poor seal between the lid and the cup's rim and/or the cup wall might collapse vertically from the downward pressure of clamping the lid to the rim resulting in spills and possible injuries. Similarly, the consumer may have to grip and steady the cup to re-attach the lid, putting horizontal pressure on the walls of the cup by inadvertently squeezing the cup walls, again leading to the possible collapse of the cup walls and subsequent spills and injuries.
Once the lid is removed from a hot beverage container, for whatever reason, the portable nature of the fast food drink is diminished and the convenience and safety offered by the cup lid has been compromised. Consumers on the move have no practical way to safely dunk a biscotti or other confection to respectively necessitate softening and/or enhance beverage consumption, while ensuring the container contents does not spill. The lid must be removed to accomplish this, inviting accidents. The typical consumer chooses a fast food hot beverage outlet so they can obtain a drink and continue onward. Consequently, confections such as the biscotti introduces a paradigm shift away from this routine delaying the consumer from reaching their destination in a timely manner, helping to explain why the biscotti is in less demand as a confection, left behind the dessert glass, gradually disappearing from many fast food outlets, denying the consumer a more enhanced beverage/confection experience.
The prior art does not disclose any disposable cup lids specifically designed to offer access to a hot beverage for the purposes of dunking a confection such as a biscotti while the disposable lid remains fixed to the cup rim. The consumer's only option for dunking a biscotti into their fast food beverage is to decline having the barrista affix the lid prior to delivering the beverage or for the consumer to remove the lid from the rim of the cup after receipt of the beverage.
To enable a consumer to both sip a hot beverage and consume a beverage infused confection while on-the-go requires a suitably modified disposable lid facilitating dunking a confection, such as a biscotti, repeatedly without the necessity of first removing the lid to access the beverage in the container.
This new invention allows confections, such as the biscotti, to regain their position among fast food treats, introducing both old and new on-the-go beverage consumers to a unique beverage confection experience that is truly meant to be enjoyed while on the move.